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For the production of "Space Pilot 3000", the writers made a point of adding secrets they would discuss later on, the most important - if not the only one - was the shadow of Nibbler. Nibbler was not introduced until "Love's Labours Lost in Space", and the shadow did not make a "reappearance" until "Anthology of Interest I", though technically, in the what-if scenario, it wasn't actually there, explaining why Philip J. Fry did not fall in the tube.

Both Fry and Nibbler's shadows appear in the flashback in "Jurassic Bark".

Nibbler's truth was first revealed in "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid", but Fry first finds out the truth in "The Why of Fry". By utilizing the Infosphere, Fry sees that Nibbler was present in the cryogenics lab on 31 December, 1999 and was directly responsible for Fry falling into the cryogenic chamber. Fry travels back in time to intercept Nibbler, but ultimately chooses not to alter time. Fry's presence results in an additional shadow, which first appeared in a flashback in "Jurassic Bark". Because this episode aired prior to "The Why of Fry", viewers may have been originally confused about the new shadow.